1. Technical Field
This invention relates to compositions for the conditioning of fabrics in a laundry dryer. The compositions are applied to a substrate and are transferable to fabrics during the operation of a standard laundry dryer.
2. Background Art
Certain chemical compounds have long been known in the art to possess the desired quality of imparting softness to textile fibers. The quality of softness or being soft is well defined in the art and, as used herein, means that quality of a treated fabric whereby its handle or texture is smooth, pliable and fluffy and not rough or scratchy to the touch. Known generally as "softening agents", "fabric softeners" or "softeners", these compounds have long been used in the home laundry and in the textile industry to soften fabrics. Additionally, many of these compounds act to reduce the "static cling" of the treated fabric. Static cling is generally the phenomenon of one fabric adhering to another or to parts of itself as a result of static electrical charges located on the surface of the fabric. It can also involve the adherence of lint, dust and other similarly undesired substances to a fabric due to the static charges. It is noticeably present in fabrics that are freshly washed and dried in an automatic dryer. Softening and reducing the static cling of a fabric makes the fabric more comfortable when worn. In addition, such treated fabrics are easier to iron and have fewer hard-to-iron wrinkles. The prior art suggests the use of a softening agent coated onto a flexible substrate for use as a dryer-added softening composition (See U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,686,025 and 3,632,396).
However, the prior art compositions have serious disadvantages such as staining the treated fabric or causing a reduction in the tendency of the fabric to wick water.
It is the object of this invention to provide a fabric conditioning composition which not only softens the fabric and reduces static cling, but also minimizes staining and maintains the tendency of the fabric to wick water.